The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-04-29
AN INGENIOUS DEVICE.
A New Use for an Old observation-disclosures
Vote Recorder.

New Use for an Old observation-disclosures
Vote Recorder.
Chicago Mail
Anew 'jgger" went up on the board of trade
yesterday afternoon. About year ago it
CURED to electrical expert that dial" placed
IN prominent part of the exchange hall that
would show the fluctuations of wheat would save
myriad of questions. He made the suggestion
to fellow expert-Roberts, of the Chicago
Times-and between them they devised the dial,
nopularly dubbed '.jiggers." which now on the
Produce Exchange, both at Chicago and New
I Ork, exhibits the prices as quickly as they are
made to persons outside the PIT as well as in it.
The ''jigger.' which is now prostituted to rne
duty OF exhibiting prices on the New York and
Chicago exchanges, originally devised for
no such commonplace Office. 1t was got up
twenty-five years ago in Boston by Tom Edison
and Roberts to record the votes of the members
OF legislative bodies, the two young men having
the crazy notion that vote recorder" which
would silently and exactly indicate the ballots
OF senators, congressman, legislators and alder
men would make the patentees rich. The vote
patented. 1t was possible with it for
a legislator to touch an ''aye' or mo"
button on his desk rol-call. and instantly,
without his opening his mouth, his name was
printed ON the AYE OR mo" column of sheet
the presiding officers desk. The device
worked beautifully. 1t was built at Charley
Williamss famous electrical model works in
Boston, and cost $500 Roberts had to pay the
chtire OIL, rs ne was Ina manager OF the amer
lean telegraph Office in that city, while Tom Ed
lson was only lank and unkempt telegraph
operator In the same Office, with money and
no credit The nvoterecorder" was built and
paid for, anu worked without hitch. but no
legislative body wanted it. The two enthusiastic
inventors discovered that they had missed alto
gether the American legislators idea when they
thought that he was anxious to have his vote re-
corded in silence, unem belllshed by explanations
or eloquence of any sort Roberts made
herculean effort with Smith Weed to have the
s'vote-recorder" put into the Capitol at AL
bany, but failed. Then Edison assigned the
right and title to his one-half interest," and the
invention was forgotten ta -
1t was not until last year that tie 4yote re-
corder' was thought of again. Then it occurred
to the electrical expert who had charge of the
Board of Trade ticker service that if the Rob-
erts and Edison invention could keep track of
legislators votes 1t certainly could keep ap with
the market fluctuations. 1t needed only sug-
gestion TO Roberts to set that gentleman at work
The old vote recording" model was brought out
from its resting place and busted off. A little
work and little ADAPTATION soon put it into its
new line of duty. and one day when the wheat
spectators came down town they found the
.'jigger' at work in the gallery of the Exchange
hall. 1t worked SO well for wheat that another
was put up for corn, and another will soon be at
work for the benefit of the spectators IN pork
Roberts has just got back from New York, where
he put up for the Produce Exchange one of the
machines for the New York spectators
( quaint New Highlander fifty years ago grew
rich because the sugar planters of the West In
dies seized upon his cargo of warming pans for
sugar evaporators. 1t seems not at all improb-
able that Roberts may realize handsomely. now
that produce spectators see in that wonderful
project of Edison's for silently recording the
ballot of the eloquent American legislator some
thing that can be made valuable to them.